character profile

Macbeth is a tragic hero. He starts out in a position of power but falls due to an error in judgement or his own making.

Every tragic hero has a fatal flaw or hamartia: Macbeth is his ambition. He can't restrain himself from going after what he wants.

When introduced to Macbeth at the start of the play, he is presented as the stereotypical hero, the ideal warrior. He exceeds the expectations of masculinity by proving his manhood.

Shakespeare uses his noble status to give him a place to fall from. from a brave warrior to a coward, allowing an exploration of gender power and morality.

Macbeth's relationship with his wife Lady Macbeth allows Shakespeare to examine gender roles and power in his own society. Macbeth allows himself to be overpowered by his wife and becomes a passive coward suggesting that breaking the order of society can make you vulnerable to corruption and temptation.

Macbeth's personality is defined by both his ambition and guilt throughout the play. He is fixated on the future and how to get what he truly desires yet on the other hand he is constantly looking over his shoulder, haunted by the crimes he had to commit.

Macbeth's gender/masculinity

Initially, it seems as though Macbeth has no reason to worry about his manhood. He is successful in battle, has a loyal wife, and is destined to work his way up the social ladder but it quickly becomes clear that isn’t enough for him.

For Macbeth, the ideas of power and violence become synonymous with masculinity. He is convinced if he doesn’t pursue kingship as best as he can he will no longer be seen as masculine.

For the majority of the play, Macbeth treats Lady Macbeth as an equal or even as his superior. He even allows himself to be manipulated by her as she has the power to not only threaten his masculinity but also strip him of it.

ambition may be his hamartia but his disputed masculinity is his weakness. any challenge to his manhood is enough to convince Macbeth to commit a crime which is precisely how lady Macbeth manipulated him.

religion

straight after the murder of king Duncan, Macbeth has a moral crisis. This is done by Shakespeare stripping away his ability to say “amen” and that he will “sleep no more”. These two quotations affected Macbeth deeply because they demonstrate that he knows his life is over. He will no longer live like the rest of humanity as he has strayed from God's path and therefore lost his protection.

tragic hero

Shakespeare uses the idea of a tragic hero to teach his audience the importance of morality and respecting God's will. Macbeth being a tragic hero means the audience is bound to feel sympathy for him despite his actions

Shakespeare ensures the audience roots for Macbth and wants him to succeed otherwise the message of the play could be lost. This creates a moral crisis for the audience, guaranteeing they will be more engaged with the topic. Even though we are related to his desires and may be on his side, the audience is forced to admit that he Is wrong and that the tragic death he received was deserved and just.

Another way Shakespeare ensured the audience was still invested in Macbeth's character was how the killings took place. The murder of king Duncan was specifically not shown to the audience as witnessing Macbeth committing that crime to someone who is seen as god would dampen their interest in his character and the lesson being portrayed.

Macbeth’s key characteristics

ambition

under the forceful hand of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth gives into the temptation of letting his want for the title of king get the better of him. As a result, he ends the play in a much lower position than when he started. Although he is king, he has lost grace, bravery and respect - from those around him and the audience.

The issue Shakespeare tries to make clear isn’t ambition itself, but the way Macbeth allows himself to be controlled by it.

This is known because other characters like Banquo show ambition but know how to restrain themselves appropriately. They have the ability to judge a situation and recognise when it’s best for them to give in to their desires but also ignore them for the sake of themselves and their loved ones. Macbeth on the other hand is oblivious.

Shakespeare seems to want to teach the audience the importance of self-awareness and self-restraint. that you should be content with the plan set out for you and you should control your ambition.

guilt

immediately after the murder, Macbeth becomes guilt-ridden. he has to live with what he has done and bare the knowledge that there is no undoing it. His guilt makes him a character tormented by his own conscience.

Macbeth's ambition propels him into inescapable regret, suggesting that the true punishment for his regicide isn’t execution but the guilt he has to carry.

Even when no one suspected him of the foul play Macbeth is still troubled.

violence

A common theme throughout the play is violence and conflict, both internal and external.

violence is associated with manhood and masculinity, particularly by Macbeth himself. Whenever his manliness is challenged, Macbeth responds by committing violent ruthless acts. He represses any feeling of fear as he views them as signs of weakness or even femininity.

Men such as Macbeth are supposed to be strong leaders.